U.S. patent number 3,909,009 [Application Number 05/436,914] was granted by the patent office on 1975-09-30 for tone arm and phonograph pickup assemblies.
This patent grant is currently assigned to The Astatic Corporation. Invention is credited to Henry J. Cvetko, Michael Williams.
United States Patent |
3,909,009 |
Cvetko , et al. |
September 30, 1975 |
Tone arm and phonograph pickup assemblies
Abstract
Our invention provides a simple, yet very effective connection
between a phonograph pickup cartridge and a phonograph tone arm.
Both cartridge and tonearm may be generally of standard
construction except that one has a projection and the other has a
socket for receiving the projection, whereby when the cartridge is
moved to position within the cavity at the free end of the tone
arm, the projection is seated within the socket to effect the
assembly. In a preferred form, the projection extends upwardly from
the top surface of the cartridge and frictionally fits within an
opening in the upper wall of the tone arm, the upper portion of the
projection being accessible so that the thumb of a person may be
pressed thereagainst to cause disassembly of the cartridge from the
tone arm.
Inventors: |
Cvetko; Henry J. (Conneaut,
OH), Williams; Michael (Warren, OH) |
Assignee: |
The Astatic Corporation
(Conneaut, OH)
|
Family
ID: |
23734321 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/436,914 |
Filed: |
January 28, 1974 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
369/256;
369/247.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G11B
3/02 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G11B
3/00 (20060101); G11B 3/02 (20060101); G11B
003/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;274/24,31,37 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Aegerter; Richard E.
Assistant Examiner: Mirabito; A. J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Williams; Michael
Claims
We claim:
1. An assembly for a record player, comprising:
a phonograph pickup cartridge, and a tone arm having a free end
portion which is provided with a cavity which opens downwardly and
has an upper defining wall, said cavity being adapted to receive
said cartridge,
a projection rigidly connected to said wall and extending
downwardly therefrom,
a sleeve rigidly connected to and extending upwardly from an upper
portion of said cartridge, said sleeve having a transverse wall
forming a bottom thereof,
and said upper defining wall and said projection having an opening
in line with the interior of said sleeve, said opening being
adapted to pass a tool which may be used to press against said
sleeve bottom to dislodge said cartridge from assembly with said
tone arm.
2. An assembly for a record player, comprising:
an oblong pickup cartridge, and an elongated tone arm having a free
end portion provided with a longitudinally extending cavity opening
from the underside of said tone arm,
said cartridge being disposed longitudinally within said cavity
with its longitudinal axis at an acute angle with respect to the
longitudinal axis of said tone arm whereby a stylus carried at the
forward underside of said cartridge is disposed below said tone arm
a distance sufficient to clear said tone arm and be disposed for
engagement with a record,
and a connection between said tone arm and said cartridge,
comprising a projection carried on one part and a socket carried on
the other part, said projection fitting coaxially within said
socket and being held therein by a frictional fit, the connection
being effected solely by relatively moving said tone arm and
cartridge to move said projection into said socket along the axis
of the latter,
one of said projection and socket having its axis at a
predetermined angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the
respective part on which it is carried so that axial movement of
said projection into frictional fitting relation within said socket
will correctly dispose said cartridge with its longitudinal axis at
said acute angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of said tone
arm.
3. The construction according to claim 2 wherein said cavity is
defined by top and side walls of said tone arm,
wherein said projection is connected to the upper portion of said
cartridge, and
wherein said socket is a sleeve connected to said top wall and
extends downwardly into said cavity from an inner surface of said
top wall,
said top wall having an opening adapted to pass a tool which may be
used to press against the upper extremity of said projection to
dislodge said cartridge from assembly with said tone arm.
4. The construction according to claim 2 wherein said cartridge has
electrical terminal means and said tone arm has contact means
electrically connected to the record player electrical system, said
terminal means automatically engaging said contact means when said
cartridge is moved to position within said tone arm cavity.
5. An assembly for a record player, comprising:
an oblong cartridge, and an elongated tone arm having a free
portion provided with a longitudinally extending cavity opening
from the underside of said tone arm and defined by top and side
walls thereof,
said cartridge being disposed longitudinally within said cavity
with its longitudinal axis at an acute angle with respect to the
longitudinal axis of said tone arm whereby a stylus carried at the
forward underside of said cartridge is disposed below said tone arm
a distance sufficient to clear said tone arm and be disposed for
engagement with a record,
and a connection between said tone arm and said cartridge,
comprising an opening through said top wall which is in
communication with said cavity, and a projection extending from an
upper surface of said cartridge and frictionally fitting within
said opening, the connection being effected solely by relatively
moving said tone arm and cartridge to move said projection into
said opening for frictional interlocking fit with the defining wall
thereof,
the axis of said projection being at a predetermined angle with
respect to the longitudinal axis of said cartridge so that axial
movement of said projection into frictional locking relation with
the defining wall of said opening will correctly dispose said
cartridge with its longitudinal axis at said acute angle with
respect to the longitudial axis of said tone arm.
6. The construction according to claim 5 wherein the relative
transverse dimensions of said opening and said projection are such
that frictional locking fit occurs after said projection has
entered into said opening an amount wherein an upper portion of
said projection extends above the upper surface of said top wall to
be in position for application of a pressing force thereagainst to
remove said projection from said opening and thereby provide for
removal of said cartridge from said tone arm cavity.
7. An assembly for a record player, comprising:
a pickup cartridge, and a tone arm having a free end portion
provided with a cavity opening from the underside of said tone arm
defined by top and side walls of said tone arm, said cartridge
fitting within said cavity,
and a connection between said tone arm and said cartridge,
comprising an opening through said top wall which is in
communication with said cavity, and a projection extending from an
upper surface of said cartridge and frictionally fitting within
said opening,
the relative transverse dimensions of said opening and said
projection being such that frictional locking fit occurs after said
projection has been entered into said opening an amount wherein an
upper portion of said projection extends above the upper surface of
said top wall to be in position for application of a pressing force
thereagainst to remove said projection from said opening and
thereby provide for removal of said cartridge from said tone arm
cavity.
8. The construction according to claim 7 wherein said cartridge has
electrical terminal means and said tone arm has contact means
electrically connected to the record player electrical system, said
terminal means automatically engaging said contact means when said
cartridge is moved to its position within said cavity.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventional phonograph pickup cartridges are usually held
assembled within the hollow, free end of a tone arm by means of a
mounting bracket and a screw connection. This has caused some
problems when the cartridge is to be serviced or replaced, since
working space is limited and therefore it is difficult to gain
access to the bracket and screw.
Some improvements have been made to eliminate the bracket and
screw, but the resulting connection between cartridge and tone arm
has not been as rigid as we believe is necessary. In a known
improvement, the cartridge has an upstanding hook member which fits
through an opening in the tone arm and hooks over the upper surface
of the latter. The biasing force of leaf spring electrical contacts
is utilized to hold the hook member in assembled position with the
tone arm and it is believed that such assembly is not firm enough
for high fidelity sound reproduction.
Our invention provides a simple, yet effective, push-in connection
between the cartridge and tone arm, and comprises a projection on
one which is frictionally received within a socket in the other.
Preferably, the projection is provided on the cartridge and extends
from the upper wall thereof. This projection is adapted to
frictionally fit within an opening in the upper wall of the tone
arm, with the upper portion of the projection extending beyond such
upper wall. An insignia may be provided on such upper portion for
decorative or identifying purposes, and the cartridge may be easily
removed from assembly with the tone arm by force applied to the
upper portion to disengage the projection from the tone arm.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings accompanying this specification and forming a part
of this application there are shown, for purpose of illustration,
several embodiments which our invention may assume, and in these
drawings:
FIG. 1 is an enlarged, fragmentary perspective view showing our new
and improved cartridge and tone arm in disassembled relation,
FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the parts in
assembled relation,
FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, longitudinal sectional view
corresponding to the line 3--3 of FIG. 2,
FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view corresponding to the line
4--4 of FIG. 3,
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary bottom view of the tone arm assembly,
FIG. 6 is a transverse sectional view corresponding to the line
6--6 of FIG. 5, and
FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 are views similar to FIG. 4, but showing other
embodiments of our invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The tone arm 10 and phonograph pickup cartridge 11 may be generally
of any standard construction, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat.
No. 2,601,126, issued June 17, 1952 to M. Palo, et al., and
assigned to the assignee of the present application. The improved
connection between the tone arm and cartridge comprises a
projection on one fitting into a socket on the other so that by
moving the cartridge into the hollow of the tone arm, the
connection is made at the time the cartridge has been moved to its
desired position.
As seen in FIGS. 1 through 6, the tone arm 10, at least at its free
end, is formed as an inverted channel to form a cavity 12
comprising at top wall 14 and side walls 15--15. The front of the
channel is preferably closed by an integral front wall 16. A socket
is provided near the free end of the tone arm and in the preferred
embodiment, the socket is formed as an opening 17 in the top wall
14. Preferably a plastic bushing 18 is securely held within the
opening so that for production purposes the size of the opening 19
in the bushing may be closely held to definite tolerances and also
that the wall defining the opening will provide a suitable
frictional surface.
Inthe preferred embodiment, the cartridge 11 is provided with a
projection 20 which is cylindrical in form and may be integral with
the cartridge case or may be separated and secured thereto. The
projection is of a diameter so that it will fit into the bushing
opening 19 with a friction fit. Preferably, the projection has a
slight taper from its base to its free end. A taper of about
3.degree. has been found suitable to permit easy entrance of the
free end of the projection into the bushing opening 19 and suitable
friction fit therein.
The free end of the projection 20 extends beyond the upper wall 14
of the tone arm and may carry any suitable insignia. Disassembly of
the cartridge from the tone arm is a simple matter and may be
carried out by one hand of a person. As suggested in FIG. 2, a
person may grasp the tone arm with the fingers of the hand
underlying the tone arm and press the thumb against the extending
part of the projection, and the cartridge will easily be dislodged
from the tone arm.
In most cases, the frictional fit between the projection 20 and the
wall surface defining the bushing opening 19 is sufficient to
prevent rotation of the projection and the attached cartridge.
However, the cartridge may be of a transverse size to snugly fit
between the side walls 15--15 of the tone arm, as seen in FIG. 4,
to insure against rotation of the projection with the bushing 18.
The projection 20 and bushing opening 19 may be formed with means
to provide for correct orientation of the cartridge relative to the
tone arm, such as a key 20.1 (see dot-dash lines FIG. 3) fitting
within a key-way within the bushing.
As best seen in FIG. 3, the longitudinal axis of the projection 20
is at an angle to the lonitudinal axis of the cartridge 11 so that
when the projection is pushed into the bushing 18, the cartridge
will be disposed at a correct angle relative to the tone arm 10 to
dispose the stylus 21 for engagement with a phonograph record (not
shown).
The conventional cartridge has terminals extending from its rear
end and as seen in FIGS. 3, 5 and 6, the cartridge 11 has four
terminals 22--22 and 23--23 since it is designed for binaural use.
If the cartridge were designed for monaural use, the terminals
22--22 would be omitted. The terminals are adapted to be
electrically connected to the electrical system (not shown) of the
record player, and provision is herein made to automatically
connect such terminals when the cartridge 11 is assembled with the
tone arm. As best seen in FIG. 6, a spring contact 25 is carried by
the tone arm 10 to bridge the terminals 22--22, and separating
spring contacts 26--26 are carried by the tone arm to engage
respective terminals 23--23. The contacts 25 and 26--26 are
electrically connected by wires (not shown) to the electrical
system of the record player and therefore when the cartridge 11 is
assembled with the tone arm, the electrical connections are
automatically made.
In order to limit the amount the projection 20 may be extended
through the bushing 18, the rear upper end of the cartridge may
engage the under surface of the tone arm 10, as seen at 27 in FIG.
3, or the cartridge may have a forward projection 28 engageable
with the inner surface of the end wall 16. However, these limiting
means may be of any other suitable form, or may be eliminated
entirely.
DESCRIPTION OF THE OTHER EMBODIMENTS
In some cases it is desirable to provide means on the projection 20
to define its extension through the bushing 18. In FIG. 7, the
projection is formed with a series of abutments 30 and a spaced
series of abutments 31 for engagement with opposite ends of the
bushing 18. Instead of the spaced abutments, the projection may be
formed with spaced annular ridges. The projection may be formed of
material that has a slight resiliency so that the abutments 30 are
slightly compressed as they are pushed through the bushing and then
spring out to engagement with the upper end of the bushing. It will
be appreciated that the required resiliency may be incorporated
into the bushing, rather than in the projection.
In some cases, it may be preferred that the projection does not
extend upwardly from the top wall of the tone arm and in such cases
the embodiments shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 may be used. In FIG. 8, the
tone arm 10a is provided with a socket in the form of a tubular
sleeve 35 integral with and extending downwardly from the inner
surface of the top wall 14a. The cartridge 11a is provided with an
upstanding projection 20a, as before, except in this case the
projection is not as long as that previously described. The
projection 20a frictionally fits within the socket 35 to effect its
assembly with the tone arm 10a, and may bottom within the socket to
define its location. A small opening or slot 36 is formed in the
top wall 14a to pass a tool which may be pressed against the upper
surface of the projection 20a to effect disassembly of the
cartridge from the tone arm.
In the embodiment disclosed in FIG. 9, the socket is provided in
the cartridge 11b, and is shown as a tubular sleeve 37 integral
with and extending upwardly from the cartridge case. A projection
20b is provided on the tone arm, and is shown integral with and
extending downwardly from the inner surface of the top wall 14b of
the tone arm 10b. The socket 37 receives the projection 20b with a
friction fit, as before.
In the foregoing description, reference is made to a tone arm and
it is pointed out that this term is intended to include a shroud
which sometimes is attached to a shorter tone arm, and which forms
the free end of the tone arm. In such case, the cartridge-receiving
cavity is formed in the shroud with the cartridge projection 20
fitting within a socket in the shroud. An example of a shroud may
be found in catalog C-73 page 6 of The Astatic Corporation.
* * * * *